Council seats open to residents

BY ALYSSA HOWARD Harrison News-Herald Staff Writer

ATHENS—New

NEW

Athens council met on the evening of Monday, March 13, after not having a meeting the month prior due to a lack of quorum. The meeting started with Mayor Joe Petro announcing that a few council members had resigned. Council will be looking for new members to fill the three open seats. They are also working on voting in Matt Littman as the new president of council.

BY REBECCA BRATTEN WEISS

Harrison News-Herald Staff Writer

CADIZ—The Harrison County Board of Health has hired Megan Smolenak, MPH, to take up the position of health commissioner for the county. This is part of an overall restructuring of the department, which has been in the works for a while, even prior to the departure of former Health Administrator Garen Rhome, who led the department’s public health messaging through most of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Smolenek graduated from Ohio University Eastern in May of 2020 and was hired by the Belmont County Health Department, initially as a contact tracer, though as the pandemic unfolded, she ended up moving into multiple roles there, including emergency preparedness coordinator for public health, and grant coordinator. She also acted as an epidemiologist for the department. During that same period, Smolenek was also enrolled in Ohio University’s Master of Public Health program. In 2022 she graduated with a Master of Public Health and also received a certificate in epidemiology.

Starting her work in public health just a few months into the pandemic was a little intimidating, Smolenek says, but she was thankful for the opportunity at Belmont.

“It taught me a lot about public health and also a lot about the community. COVID was a hard time for everyone, but it was a great learning experience.”

The biggest challenge of working in public health during this time, she says, was keeping up with the constantly evolving guidance from health experts and officials.

“With COVID being a new disease and the professionals working out everything about it, it was a lot of work, staying up to date with the guidances.”

But, she says, one of her biggest takeaways from her experience is how important communication is, from the federal to the state

BY ALYSSA HOWARD Harrison News-Herald Staff Writer

CADIZ—Harrison County Humane Society met on February 23 for their monthly meeting. The meeting started with Cheryl Gordon giving the treasurer’s report. The Grooming Room at Gold Star Kennel supported the Humane Society with a fundraiser. Along with a donation jar, they gave them $1 for each nail trim in the month of February. They presented HCHS with a check for $300.

Linda Williams followed up with the humane report. Five calls and seven follow-ups were attended. There were 41 total animals involved.

Fifteen cats were altered and vaccinated at AlterCare in Canton; they were then released back into their colony. Unfortunately, an elderly cat had to be euthanized due to health issues that were unable to be treated. A horse was adopted last year from a slaughterhouse and, as a result of its upbringing, had a very hard time adjusting to its new life. The owners tried their best and cared tremendously for the equine; unfortunately, the horse passed. There was a citation issued to an individual that dumped a pup in Bowerston. A stray cat house was placed across from the fairgrounds. It’s their way of helping the feline population in the area have a safe, warm place in the colder months.

Williams continued the meeting with the shelter report. Some exciting news is that they finally signed the lease and got the keys to their new shelter! An opening date and time will be announced when everything is up and running. Kidder Law Firm kindly donated their services and prepared the lease agreement pro bono. If you would like to help or donate, all donations can be sent to the Humane Society of Harrison

County, P.O. Box 404, Cadiz, Ohio 43907. They are currently planning a “shelter shower” for April 22, 2023. This will double as an open house. Please check their Facebook page for a list of needed items.

There will be a car show on May 13 at the Tractor Supply in Cadiz to help raise money for the new shelter and TNR (trap-neuterrelease) to help the cat population around the village. They will have a booth set up to speak with community members about joining the humane society and helping the local animals in the county. They are also looking to involve themselves in the yearly Gun Bash to help with getting funds for the shelter and shelter services.

Humane President Sarah McKibben spoke about further training for Williams. Williams would like to be trained in euthanasia. She will not be performing the practice, but she intends to use it to educate the public to explain the decisions behind why veterinarians and humane agents would choose to euthanize an animal. McKibben also furthered her training, attending a TNR class taught by the Community Cat Project to become officially certified in the practice. She encouraged her fellow agents to also attend a class.

The good news for this month is that four animals were adopted. The longest foster, Pecos, was happily adopted! Unfortunately, his companion Maggie had to be euthanized due to a lameness that couldn’t be healed and would be fatal to the horse. She lived the last couple of years of her life loved and well-cared for. Besides Pecos, three other animals were adopted, Meadowlark, Zarra, and Roscoe. The Humane Society is always looking for more fosters. If you are interested, get in contact with one of your local humane agents to see how to help the animals in your community.

Petro recently met with a representative from the EPA to discuss the new action plan the state of Ohio has placed into effect for villages. The village has been working diligently to make the necessary actions and contingency plans the state requires. If any trials from the plans will affect the residents of the village, they will be notified in advance. They have already successfully completed a few of the contingency plans, and they are steadily working on others that don’t require warmer weather.

Village officials are heavily encouraging residents to contact water tanker companies to deliver large amounts of water for wells, pools, etc. Using the fire hydrants for non-emergency reasons is prohibited.

One of the most helpful plans required by the Ohio EPA has been the water line mapping system. Not only does it help them find problem areas, but it has also actually helped them find a water leak. They are hoping to work on locating and repairing the leak when the weather finally breaks. Council also has plans to move a few water meters this summer.

At the end of 2021, a yearly water ordinance was passed. Each year they must raise the cost by a few dollars to help curb the cost of inflation. Announcements will be made when it is placed into effect for the village residents and also those residents in the outer limits of the village that utilize water services. Council is happy to report that there are no water concerns due to the train derailment and chemical runoff in East Palestine. All water is regularly tested, as is source waters. There have been concerns from the residents about the smell from the sewage plant. Council is looking to find something to help lessen the smell as much as possible. There have also been issues with a portion of the alleyway on Franklin Drive. Due to rains, snow, and runoff from local homes, the alleyway has been washed away. A resident reported a busted tire in the alley due to the deep holes left by the wet conditions. Council has made plans to temporarily fix the alley till the weather breaks, and then they can properly fix the alley and make new drainage paths.

Another resident is having issues with cars driving on their property and making ruts in the yard. They have since put up poles to block cars from entering and causing further damage to their property.

Council is also hoping to encourage residents to clean up their properties around the village. Council has a lot of plans for the warmer months ahead.

Samuel a. Hartley